Locust Projects presents the 6th year of LAB (Locust Arts Builders). This year, twenty South Florida high school students from eleven high schools across the county were selected from an open call to create a collaborative exhibition at Locust Projects in Miami’s Design District.

Under the direction of Miami-based contemporary visual artists Monica Lopez de Victoria (of the TM Sisters) and Clifton Childree, students are given the opportunity to create a collaborative exhibition at Locust Projects and manage all aspects of the show’s production during a multi-week summer intensive. Students also visit art institutions on guided field trips and interact with invited members of the local art community at Locust Projects.

The LAB program extends Locust Projects’ longstanding commitment to experimentation and innovation in artistic practice to the next generation of South Florida artists. LAB promotes contemporary art and project-based learning as a means to encourage creativity, critical analysis, and problem solving, while also helping participants to develop their communication skills. This unique initiative allows young artists to learn the practical aspects and experience the excitement of creating a public exhibition in collaboration with their peers.

The LAB exhibition project culminates with an opening reception where students’ parents, teachers, and friends are invited to celebrate and mingle with Miami’s art community.